Evolved Technologist ® -

In May 2008, top researchers from around the world gathered near Potsdam, Germany for the International Research Forum sponsored by SAP Research. For two days, these thinkers from business, academia and government examined a topic that will increasingly become part of our vocabulary: the Internet of Services. The discussion illuminated how the Internet of Services will change enterprise computing. It will help businesses leverage core strengths, find partners in new business networks, collaborate and tap new global markets. Software as a service, cloud computing and other trends are democratizing innovation as never before. The infrastructure barriers to doing business in the Internet of Services are falling away. Yet, as this book shows, this new world also poses challenges different from anything we have seen before.

Driven to Perform: Risk-Aware Performance Management From Strategy Through Execution shows how to achieve tangible business results through the modern practice of performance management. The book provides a comprehensive tour of the performance management methods and software applications that help companies master the complexity and chaos of the modern business world. No other book on performance management contains the overview of the process, technology, and people issues in the field (Parts I and II) along with hands-on recommendations for specific business areas such as Sales, Finance, IT, Supply Chain, Product Development, and more (Part III). Improving performance management is a necessity in order to propagate strategy, manage risk, design and optimize processes, compare potential scenarios, achieve compliance, and manage numerous partner relationships. This book is an essential guide to driving transformation to a high-performance, data-driven company.

The business process expert, or BPX, is an emerging role that is changing the dynamics in numerous companies.

Process First: The Evolution of the Business Process Expert Role not only harvests wisdom about who BPXers are and what they can do to help companies move forward and increase internal communications. The project also represents an effort by business process experts for business process experts.

In Enterprise SOA: Designing IT for Business Innovation, Dan Woods and Thomas Mattern analyze SAP's blueprint for putting SOA to work. In addition to design, development, and architecture, vital contextual issues such as governance, security, change management, and culture are also explored.

So you want to wiki? This friendly guide gets you up and running in the wiki world in no time, from creating and editing wiki pages and going public to handling maintenance, promotion, and project management. You'll see how to handle the hurdles of shared authorship, use structured wiki applications, and prepare for the wikis of the future.

SAP GRC for Dummies explains the issues surrounding governance, risk, and compliance in the classic Dummies style.

In May of 2007, SAP hosted the second International Research Forum in Eltville, Germany, bringing together leading thinkers from academia, business, and government. International Research Forum 2007 captures the insights and advances the research agenda that emerged from this conference, covering Enterprise 2.0, The Service Grid, User-Driven Innovation, and Business Model Transformtion.

Based on the proceedings of the 2006 International Research Forum, this book explores four key issues facing those who apply information and communications technology to help people work together. These four issues are: Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web, IT security, real-world awareness, and IT as a tool for growth and development.

Mesh Collaboration: Creating New Business Value in the Network of Everything uses the technique of explanatory fiction to demonstrate how companies can thrive in what has become a very fast moving, ultra-competitive, globalized world.